Ostomy bag cover

ABSTRACT

An ostomy bag cover for an ostomy bag of the type having an inlet, a connecting member for connecting the inlet in communication with a stoma on a wearer&#39;s body and a closable outlet at the bottom of the ostomy bag for emptying the contents therefrom. The cover is in the form of a hollow body and includes a ribbed aperture formed therein adapted to be disposed in close tolerance with the inlet of the ostomy bag and to receive the connecting member therethrough. Said ribbed aperture provides an improved fit of the ostomy bag cover in relation to the ostomy bag inlet thereby providing the wearer with greater comfort by reduced contact of the wearer&#39;s skin with the ostomy bag, the connecting member, or the ostomy inlet. A second aperture is formed in the bottom of the hollow body between spaced side portions thereof and is adapted to be disposed in proximity with the outlet of the ostomy bag. A releasable fastener is mounted on the space sides for releasably closing the second aperture in the hollow body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

I. Field of the Invention

This invention relates, in general, to ostomy bags and, morespecifically, to covers for ostomy bags.

II. Description of the Prior Art

In persons having intestinal problems which render all or a portion ofthe intestines inoperative due to disease or other pathologicalconditions or temporarily inoperative due to inflammation or surgery, asurgical procedure known as an ostomy is performed in which a passagewayor stoma is made through the skin typically through the abdominal wall.A portion of the intestine is re-routed and surgically connected to thestoma such that waste material can exit the body.

The term "ostomy" covers all types of surgical procedures wherein apassageway is formed through the skin and a portion of the intestineconnected thereto. When a portion of the large intestine or colon isconnected to the stoma or passageway, the surgical procedure is referredto as a "colostomy". When the small intestine is involved, the surgicalprocedure is known as a "ileostomy". Both types of procedures require anostomy bag which is affixed or worn on the body and is in communicationwith the stoma to collect waste material exiting therethrough. A widevariety of ostomy bags and methods for attaching them to the body havebeen previously devised.

A common type of ostomy bag which has found widespread use is formed ofa plastic material and has an aperture located on one side in which ameans for attaching the ostomy bag to the body is mounted so as todispose the interior of the bag in communication with the stoma forreceiving waste material exiting the body through the stoma. The bottomend of the bag is in the form of a narrow throat and has a slot formedtherein. The throat is typically folded up and secured in place by aremovable fastener to sealingly close the bottom of the bag so as toretain the waste material therein and, yet, enable the bag to be openedfor emptying the contents therefrom.

Although such ostomy bags effectively collect waste material, they arenot without certain disadvantages. Previously devised ostomy bags aretypically formed of a transparent or semi-transparent material whichrenders the collected body waste material in the bag somewhat visible.Furthermore, as ostomy bags are typically formed of a plastic material,they have a tendency to stick to the body of the wearer and causediscomfort and/or skin irritation.

Covers have been previously devised which surround and enclose an ostomybag. However, such previously devised covers are sealed at the bottomsuch that the ostomy bag cannot be emptied without completely removingthe bag and the cover from the body of the wearer. This is a timeconsuming and unpleasant task at best and, further, could causeirritation to the skin surrounding the stoma due to frequent removal andreattachment of the ostomy bag.

Other ostomy bag covers are provided with releasable fasteners at thetop end to enable the ostomy bag to be removed from the cover foremptying or replacement. Again, the bag must be completely removed fromthe body for emptying which results in the same type of problems asnoted above.

Other ostomy bag covers, as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,191 to Hogandated Mar. 27, 1984, have been designed in a manner which completelyencloses the ostomy bag to hide the contents within the bag from view.Such bags have also provided a means which enables the ostomy bag to beemptied without requiring its removal from the body of the wearer.

Other ostomy bag covers well known in the prior art have beenconstructed of a material which prevents irritation and discomfort whenworn by the wearer.

Although ostomy bags and ostomy bag covers have been improved in recentyears, wearers have been know to still experience a certain level ofdiscomfort while wearing ostomy bags and ostomy covers of the type whichare currently available. Such discomfort often leads to skin irritationand or rashes in close proximity to the wearer's stoma. Such discomfortwas due to the aperture of the ostomy bag cover, allowing passage of theconnecting means therethrough, was non-resilient. With continued use ofthe ostomy bag cover (including the repeated removal and insertion ofostomy bags therein), said aperture became stretched and therebyincapable of providing a tight seal about the outside circumference ofthe connection means. This often led to a small portion of the ostomybag in the immediate area of the connection means making directfrictional contact with the wearer's skin thereby causing an irritationor rash.

Thus, it would be desirable to provide a cover for an ostomy bag whichovercomes the aforementioned discomfort problems generally associatedwith the use of previously available ostomy bag covers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is disclosed herein a new and improved cover for an ostomy bag ofthe type having an inlet means for connecting the inlet in communicationwhich a stoma on a body. The cover is in the form of a hollow body andhas a ribbed aperture formed therein which is adapted to be disposed inclose tolerance with the inlet of the ostomy bag and to receive theconnecting means therethrough. A second aperture is formed in the hollowbody at a bottom portion thereof in proximity with the outlet of theostomy bag so as to receive the outlet of the ostomy bag therethrough.Means, associated with the second aperture, are provided for releasablyclosing the second aperture in the hollow body.

Preferably, the hollow body is formed of a soft fabric, such as cotton,so as to provide a comfortable feel to the wearer and to prevent theplastic ostomy bag from sticking to the skin of the wearer.

In a preferred embodiment, the second aperture is in the form of anarrow slot having spaced sides. Fastening means are applied to thespaced sides for releasable closing the second aperture. Preferably aVelcro type fastener forms the fastening means of the present invention.

The cover is provided with a bottom located, closable aperture whichenables the contents of the ostomy bag to be emptied without requiringthe ostomy bag to be removed from the body of the wearer. This not onlyminimizes the amount of time required to perform this rather unpleasanttask but, also, significantly reduces skin irritation which is caused byfrequent removal and re-attachment of the ostomy bag on the stoma.

The ostomy bag cover of the present invention overcomes one significantproblem associated with previously devised ostomy bag covers. Theinstant invention contains a ribbed aperture which is sized to providean improved fit of the ribbed aperture in relation to the inlet of theostomy bag. The ribbed aperture is constructed of a resilient memberwhich allows it to return to its predefined shape after repeatedstretching. The ribbed aperture and the remaining portions of the ostomycover are formed of a soft fabric which provides comfort to the wearerwhen worn. The soft fabric also prevents the ostomy bag from sticking toand irritating the skin of the wearer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various features, advantages and other uses of the present inventionwill become more apparent by the following detailed description anddrawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an ostomy bag cover constructed inaccordance with the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially exploded, front elevational view of a conventionalostomy bag adapted to be inserted in the cover illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, generally taken along line 3--3 inFIG. 1, and

FIG. 4 is a side, cross-sectional view showing an ostomy bag mountedwithin the cover of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Throughout the following description and drawing, an identical referencenumber is used to refer to the same component shown in multiple figuresof the drawing.

Refer now to the drawing, and to FIGS. 1 and 2 in particular, there isillustrated a cover 10 which is adapted to surround and enclose anostomy bag 12. The cover 10 functions to enclose the ostomy bag 12 andhide the contents therein, provide a comfortable feel on the body of thewearer when worn, and enables the ostomy bag 12 to be emptied withoutrequiring its complete removal from the body of the wearer.

The ostomy bag 12 is conventional in construction and, as shown in FIGS.2 and 4, comprises a hollow receptacle 14 having an enlarged upperportion 16 and a narrower, lower throat portion 18. The hollowreceptacle 14 is formed of any suitable material, such as vinyl plastic,polyethylene, polypropylene, etc., which has the requisite strength tohold waste material therein and is also impervious to gas and liquid.Further, the hollow receptacle 14 is formed with relatively thin sidewalls so as to enable the receptacle 14 to conform to the shape of thewearer's body.

An inlet aperture 20 is formed on one side of the hollow receptacle 14,preferably in the upper portion of the enlarged section 16. A connectingmeans 22 is provided for connecting the inlet 20 in fluid flowcommunication with a stoma on the body of a wearer. As is typical, theconnecting means 22 is in the form of a circular plastic ring 24 havinga plurality of outwardly extending tabs 26 formed therein which are usedto attach the ring 24 to a belt or a skin shield mounted about thestoma. The inner surface of the plastic ring 24 is attached to one sideof the hollow receptacle 14 by suitable means, such as by heat bondingor adhesives. In this manner, the plastic ring 24 extends outwardly fromone side of the hollow receptacle 14 for easy and quick attachment tothe stoma.

The hollow receptacle 14 is also provided with an outlet aperture 28which is preferably situated at the bottom end of the narrow throatsection 18. Preferably, the outlet 28 is in the form of a slot. As shownby the phantom lines in FIG. 2, the narrow throat portion 18 of thehollow receptacle 14 is adapted to be folded over several times andsecured in a folded up position as shown in FIG. 4 by a suitablefastening means or clip 30 which is disposed about the opposed sides ofthe folded up throat section 18. In this manner, the bottom end of thehollow receptacle 14 is closed to the flow of gas and/or liquids so asto retain the waste products flowing through the stoma within theinterior of the hollow receptacle 14.

In addition, the clip 30 can be removed and the bottom end for throatportion 18 unfolded so as to empty the contents from the interior of thehollow receptacle 14.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, there is illustrated a cover 10 inthe form of a hollow body. Preferably, the hollow body is formed offirst and second planar members 40 and 42 which are secured or fastenedtogether along substantially the entire length of their respectiveperipheral edges. A discontinuity or unfastened portion is providedalong the bottom edge of the planar members 40 and 42, the purpose ofwhich will be described in greater detail hereafter.

The cover 10 is formed in substantially the same shape as the ostomy bag12 and includes an enlarged upper portion 44 and a narrow, lower throatportion 46.

Preferably, the cover 10 is formed of a soft fabric, such as cotton, soas to provide a comfortable feel when worn and to prevent sticking ofthe cover 10 and/or ostomy bag 12 to the wearer's body. Furthermore, thematerial chosen to form the cover 10 should be opaque so as to hide thecontents of the ostomy bag 12 contained within the cover 10.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a ribbed aperture 48 is formed in one of thefirst and second planar members, such as planar member 40. The ribbedaperture 48 is positioned so as to be adapted to be disposed in closetolerance with the inlet aperture 20 in the ostomy bag 12 when theostomy bag 12 is inserted within the cover 10. Furthermore, the ribbedaperture 48 in the cover 10 is adapted to receive the connecting means22 on the ostomy bag 12 therethrough. A second aperture 50 is formed inthe lower throat portion 46 of the cover 10 and is adapted to bedisposed in registry with the outlet 28 of the ostomy bag 12 so as toreceive the outlet 28 therethrough. Preferably, the second aperture 50is formed by the discontinuity or unfastened portion of the bottomperipheral edges of the first and second planar members 40 and 42. Inthis manner, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the second aperture 50 is formedbetween spaced sides 52 and 54 of the lower portions of the first andsecond planar members 40 and 42, respectively.

The cover 10 is further provided with means 56 for releasably closingthe second aperture 50. Preferably, the fastening means 56 is fastenedto the sides 52 and 54 of the first and second planar members 40 and 42.Although any type of fastening means 56 may be utilized to close thesecond aperture 50, it is preferred that mating Velcro-type strips beutilized. Thus, the pile portion 58 of a Velcro-type fastener isdisposed and mounted on side 52; while the mating hook portion of aVelcro-type fastener is mounted on the opposed side 54.

In use, the ostomy bag 12 is inserted within the cover 10 through eitherthe ribbed aperture 48 or the second aperture 50. The connecting means22 on the ostomy bag 12 is pulled through the ribbed aperture 48 in thecover 10. The throat portion 18 of the ostomy bag 12 may be pulledthrough the second aperture 50, folded up and secured in a foldedposition by means of the clip 30 to sealingly close the bottom end ofthe ostomy bag 12. The second aperture 50 on the cover 10 is thenclosed. Finally, the cover 10 with the ostomy bag 12 mounted therein isattached to the body of the wearer by securing the connecting means 22to the stoma.

During subsequent use, if it is necessary to empty the contents of theostomy bag 12, the second aperture 50 in the cover portion end and thelower throat portion 18 of the ostomy bag 12 is pulled therethrough,unclipped and unfolded so as to enable the contents within the ostomybag 12 to be emptied. It should be noted that during this emptyingprocess, the ostomy bag 12 remains attached to the wearer. The bottomend of the ostomy bag 10 may then be reclosed for subsequent use afterthe lower throat portion 18 has been refolded. Conversely, the cover 10and ostomy bag 12 may be removed from the wearer and the ostomy bag 12removed from the cover 10 for cleaning or replacement if necessary.

Thus, there is been disclosed a new and improved cover for an ostomy bagwhich provides a distinct advantage over previously devised ostomy bagcovers by incorporating therein a ribbed aperture which is constructedof a resilient member which allows it to return to its predefined shapeafter repeated stretching. The ribbed aperture and the remainingportions of the ostomy cover are formed of a soft fabric which providescomfort to the wearer when worn by preventing the ostomy bag fromsticking to and irritating the skin of the wearer.

What is claimed is:
 1. A combination cover and ostomy bag of the typehaving an inlet, a means for connecting the inlet in communication witha stoma on a body and a closable outlet located at the bottom of theostomy bag for emptying the contents therefrom, the combinationcomprising:a ostomy bag; a hollow body; a ribbed aperture formed in thehollow body and adapted to be disposed in close tolerance with the inletof the ostomy bag and to receive the connecting means therethrough; asecond aperture means formed in the lower portion of the hollow body,the second aperture means disposed in proximity with the outlet of theostomy bag so as to foldably receive the outlet of the ostomy bagtherethrough; and a means for releasable closing the second aperture inthe hollow body to enable the outlet of the ostomy bag to be storedwithin the hollow body and passed through the second aperture to emptythe contents of the ostomy bag therefrom.
 2. The cover of claim 1wherein the cover is formed of soft fabric material.
 3. The cover ofclaim 1 wherein the closing means comprises a Velcro-type fastener. 4.The cover of claim 2 wherein the soft fabric material is cotton.
 5. Thecover of claim 1 wherein the hollow body comprises:first and secondplanar members; the first and second planar members being fastenedtogether along substantially the entire length of the peripheral edgesthereof; and the second aperture being formed between an unfastenedportion of the peripheral edges of the first and second planar members.6. A combination cover and ostomy bag of the type having an inlet meansfor connecting the inlet in communication with a stoma on a patient'sbody, a closable outlet located at the bottom of the ostomy bag foremptying the contents therefrom and means for scalingly closing theoutlet of the ostomy bag, the combination comprising:as ostomy bag;first and second planar members formed of a soft fabric material, thefirst and second planar members being fastened together alongsubstantially the entire length of the peripheral edges thereof todefine a hollow body; a ribbed aperture formed in one of the first andsecond planar members and disposed in close tolerance with the inlet ofthe ostomy bag and to receive the connecting means therethough; a secondaperture means formed in the bottom of the hollow body and defined byspaced, unfastened portions of the peripheral edges of the first andsecond planar members, the second aperture means disposed in proximitywith the outlet of the ostomy bag so as to foldably receive the outlettherethrough; and means for releasably closing the second aperture meansin the hollow body to enable the outlet of the ostomy bag to be storedwithin the hollow body and passed through the second aperture to emptythe contents of the ostomy bag therefrom.